SRH - IS -BASIC

Access to sexual reproductive health information and linkages to improve the well being of adolescent girls/mothers.

 In Kenya pregnancy among adolescents aged 15-19 years continues to be a significant problem with teenage pregnancy rate of 18% and adolescent birth rate of 96 per 1,000 women. According to Kenya Demographic Health Survey ( KHDS 2022). The percentage of women age 15–19 who have ever been pregnant increases with age, from 3% among those age 15 to 31% among those age 19. about 4 in 10 women age 15–19 who have no education have ever been pregnant, as compared with only 5% of women who have more than secondary education. Teenage women in the lowest wealth quin tile are more likely to have ever been pregnant than women in the highest wealth quin tile. Additionally, 70% of teenage mothers have sexual reproductive health information including unmet contraceptives needs.

Additionally, Kenya, is one of the countries with one of the highest HIV burdens worldwide, AIDS remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among adolescents unfortunately, Knowledge of prevention is lowest among respondents age 15–17 (44% each of women and men) and among those who have never had sex (47% of women and 48% of men)(KHDS,2022. 

Our organisation YAWI has been implementing a project dubbed SUPPORT PARENTING AND EXPECTANT ADOLESCENT MOTHERS IN YOUR COMMUNITY. we have found that there are  several factors that contribute to teenage pregnancies in Nakuru informal settlement where my organisation implement project. Also in the rural set up where the project was rolled out last year 2022.
Some of the factors include but not limited to, family,community and peer pressure to marry leads,  lack of properly guided and accessible information about sexual and reproductive health and rights,unmet SRH services tailored for young people, retrogressive cultural practices such as FGM,  sexual violence among intimate partners  and access to misinformation on comprehensive sexuality education.

This gaps has put a lot of adolescent girls and mothers who are sexually active at risk of;  risk of mental illness such as depression,intense stress and pressure to become parents,  drugs abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and unsafe abortions.

Majority of adolescent girls and mothers are faced with the triple
threat that is HIV/AIDs, Sexual and Gender based violence( S/GBV) and
unwanted pregnancies.

 It is against this backdrop,

They need they need to know about their health and reproduction because if they understand how their bodies work, they will know what to do to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies and unprotected sexual intercourse, unsafe abortion and prevention of HIV/AIDs.

SOLUTION  

 YAWI through CHANNEL OF HOPE department   goal is for adolescent girls and mothers to acquire comprehensive sexual education and sexual reproductive health services and access by
developing a Web Application dubbed " SRH is Basic"  The app is downloadable in computers and smartphones.  Basically the APP will provide the target Adolescent girls/mothers with correct content on  SRH including family planning services,  get linkages for service providers on SRH, counseling services and  legal aid.

The project shall  engage volunteers in medical professional who can offer
the services for free either one on one or through messaging. The app
will also have a full time person with knowledge in SRH and family
planning who will be able to support the needs of these vulnerable
groups.  As an organization we shall reach out to adolescent girls and
mothers in rural areas through mobile clinic for induction and
connectivity. we shall provide at least one community smart phones where
the adolescent mothers/girls can gather in safe space and use the app
to learn.

Our solution serves school aged children and adolescents aged 15 - 19 years either schooling or not. The app will allow the users to ask questions and get feedback thus will help tackle fear of stigmatization.

The platform can also be accessed by parents for guidance. adolescent girls and mothers with physical challenges and the blind lack inadequate access to sexual reproductive health due to stigmatization and criticism hence the app will enable confidentiality and they will be able to access services via the use of braille . The digital app can be downloaded via a computer or mobile phone and the information be made accessible to all.

The digital platform solution will serve the interest of adolescent mothers and girls .  in most cases adolescent girls and mothers who are sexually active are ignored or do not seek for SRH and family services because they the facilities are not friendly, they are stigmatized and misunderstood. they are normally judged and labelled as immoral especially those who are single. so they shy away from accessing facilities where they might meet people who know them such as community health volunteers (CHVs).

The ones in school do not access comprehensive sex education ( CSE) is not allowed in schools yet adolescent girls miss information on sexual and reproductive health and therefore make wrong decision that lead them into trouble. in the community this category of women are treated as children and the society does not expect them to discuss issues concerning their bodies sometimes they have no guidance, that is why teenage pregnancy, HIV infections and SGBV is on the rise among teenage girls and mothers. 

(YOUNG AFRICAN WOMEN INITIATIVES)

YAWI is a non-profit ,non-partisan organization founded in 2012 and ope rationalized in 2018.Women's rights non-governmental organization through advocating for their human rights and social justices ,we invest in women and girls empowerment to realize their full potential and strength in decision making,both socially and economically .

YAWI acknowledge that economic injustices,gender inequalities ,HIV/AIDS conflicts,sexual gender -based violence (S/GBV), and strict laws and policies are posing a growing threat to the survival of women and girls in the community .

YAWI has over the years reacted directly and indirectly to over 10,000 women and girls .Our designed interventions benefits women and girls and their families.

our team is made of 5 young women whose main role is to reach out to adolescent girls also we work closely with CHVs who will help us roll out the project in the community by reaching  out to adolescent girls and mothers.

I have volunteered before and currently working  with Young Africa Women Initiatives  in department they call CHANNEL OF HOPE  used in bringing change to adolescent mothers by educating them about sexual reproductive health and empowering them with skills.

in addition YAWI has a project dubbed ELEWA HAKI meaning Know your right. The project aim is to raise awareness on sexual and gender based violence in the community using a human rights approach. women and girls first understand their rights and are able to connect violation of their rights to SGBV. This particular project uses both face to face forums and digital platforms such as  Facebook, twitter, Instagram and also main media through local radio talk shows and TV shows.  in addition, YAWI has partner that uses a mobile platform to report crime dubbed MULIKA UHALIFU meaning torch out crime, which has helped even the government to curb crime including GBV cases in Kenya.

Using the YAWI network and partners already in existence it is a good starting point for potential users.

Because SRH- Is BASIC we will approach the problem through mentorship, our solution is innovative and distinct from other solutions to the problem we are solving.  YAWI as an organization has a technological advantage in providing mentorship and assisting girls in STEM in acquiring digital skills. Therefore,
SRH-Is-Basic will create a web application that will serve as another form of mentorship in order to protect the privacy of our service recipients.
It is also a safe space for them to ask personal questions that they may be embarrassed to ask in public, and we will respond to their questions using the same medium, our web application. further,

We believe that asking private questions through the app will quickly improve things because most people are uncomfortable asking personal questions in public.As a result, providing a safe space for them to ask any questions about their health reproduction will help them learn more.
Connecting them to specialists will also benefit them because some of them suffer from various things that happen on the streets, such as being raped, and if they don't get health care as soon as possible, it affects their lives.
Furthermore, we anticipate that our target will expand as a result of the positive impact of our solution. there is no other such app in the country that target adolescent girls and mothers offering  local content in the right context

To achieve these goals, we have developed a plan that includes meeting adolescent girls in mentor ship progams in the community and schools, adolescent mothers in school and out of school in our program dubbed support parenting and expecting mothers with an objective  to do train them on digital skills so that when the app is ready they will be able to access the app without difficult also to make them ambassadors of the new innovation . Additionally, continue our  training and education on SRH and Rights. Also establish partnerships with other organizations working towards similar goals to be able to reach a larger group. we hope to work with ministry of education and gender ministry to do an induction of the app and buying of the same.

Because technology is the fastest-growing method of connecting to society, we plan to create a website that will connect the various project stakeholders. This website primarily allows the community, including the young women we are targeting, to ask questions about healthy reproduction, share testimonies, and receive advice from us.

It will also be used to connect us with other sponsors who want to help the community by donating money, providing training, or volunteering.
In addition to websites, we will use social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp to disseminate information and publicize our performances around the world.

The project has not been launched by we hope to leverage on YAWI other platforms and we expect to reach 10,000 people on the social media platform with awareness and launching of the SRH-Is-Basic app. it is expected that using these other platform there will be a multiplier effect and we shall be able to reach to at least 15,000 adolescent girls and mothers on the new app

1. lack of funds to develop APP and rolling it out

2. lack of connectivity in some interior areas where we are targeting as well as lack of gadgets such as computers, smartphones and tablets for the target groups.

3. content approval by the ministry of education especially for adolescent girls in schools the process is rigorous and may take a long time

4. cultural religion, culture practices by some communities who have been a barrier to SRH services for women,

none at the moment

our business model we use one on one advertisement, social media and main media. 

Expect for the members of the channel of the Hope the young women in the community who want information from our app, religious groups, government officers will have to subscribe to the app at a fee which will be determined during the try out period.
the subscription shall be annually